General Teaching Council for England
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The General Teaching Council for England (GTC) is the professional body for teaching in England. The GTC was established by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 which set two aims:
"to contribute to improving standards of teaching and the quality of learning, and to maintain and improve standards of professional conduct among teachers, in the interests of the public".[1],
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[edit] The Three Functions of The GTC
In line with the aims set by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1988, the GTC has three principal functions:
- To maintain a register of qualified teachers in England
- To regulate the teaching profession
- To provide advice to government and other agencies on issues affecting the quality of teaching and learning.
[edit] Maintaining a Register of Teachers in England
The GTC is the awarding body for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England. All qualified teachers are on the GTC register. Registration with the GTC is compulsory for all teachers in maintained schools, pupil referral units and non-maintained special schools. In addition to this, around a third of teachers in the independent sector are registered with the GTC.[1] There are currently over 500,000 teachers on the GTC register.
[edit] Regulating the Teaching Profession
The GTC publish the Code of Conduct and Practice for Teachers. This code forms the basis of the regulatory process of the GTC. The GTC regulates the conduct and competence of teachers according to this code. Teachers' employers are required to tell the GTC when a teacher has been dismissed because of misconduct or incompetence. The GTC can make the decision to remove from their register or restrict any teacher who has 'compromised the public confidence of the profession' or who has put 'the safety and welfare of children at risk'[2].
The GTC regulates all "Registered Teachers", in other words any teacher with a DfES or DCFS number. Therefore, the GTCE can regulate teachers who are no longer GTC members, or have never been GTC members.
The GTC convenes panels to hear cases of teacher misconduct. Each hearing panel is normally held in public, and includes two teachers, one lay member of the council, and a legal advisor employed by the GTCE. The GTC employs a presenting officer who is often a leading solicitor in the field of Professional Disciplinary. A panel has the powers to:
- Issue reprimands
- Issue a conditional registration order (continued GTC registration requires the teacher to adhere to certain conditions set at the hearing)
- Suspend a teacher from the register
- Prohibit a teacher from registering
The GTCE does not pay costs to teachers not found guilty of misconduct at hearings. Legal representation at hearings can cost up to £40,000.
[edit] Providing advice to government and other agencies
The GTC also conducts research for education policy makers such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Current research projects[3] include work on:
- How to assure common standards across different forms of teacher training
- Teacher retention, and prevention of teachers leaving the profession
- The role of other (non-teaching) adults in schools
- Continuing professional development of teachers
[edit] Compulsion
It should be noted that the GTC is a compulsory professional body for those teaching in the maintained sector. Those working in independent schools can join, but membership is not compulsory.
[edit] Composition of the Council
The GTC is composed of 64 council members [1]. Elections to the council are made on a four year cycle, except the chair and vice chair of the council, which are elected annually. The GTC convenes four times a year to discuss policy and regulation of the teaching profession. The GTC is composed of:
- 25 members elected from GTC registered teachers
- 9 members who are nominated by professional teaching organisations and trade unions
- 17 members nominated through other teaching related organisations
- 13 members nominated the GTC's public appointments procedure
[edit] Primary Sources
The Archives of the GTC (England and Wales) and the GTC (England and Wales) Trust are held in the Archives of the Institute of Education, University of London and a full catalogue can be found on-line.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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